Again
by tyxuan
Summary: Three years ago, Jinora had met Skoochy, who defended her from the street bullies. Three years later, fate caused the two to collide. R&R please!
1. Fate Plays

A/N: Yes, I'm on hiatus- only with my other fanfic. I was tempted to write a Jinoochy fanfic and I'm fairly new to this beloved ship! :D I would continue to put up more chapters for this as time goes by.

**DISCLAIMER : I own neither Legend of Korra or Avatar: The Last Airbender. All rights belong to Bryke and Nickelodeon. **

* * *

_Wait here for me while your father and I go settle some council stuff, alright? _The middle-aged mother of four said. Brushing some dust of her clothes, she and her husband headed into the City Hall, where the other council members were already awaiting them.

That left Jinora sitting on the building's doorsteps. Puffing in frustration, the ten-year-old supported her head on her outstretched palm that was balanced steadily by the elbow on her knee. Her wooden staff was placed beside her. Boredom almost engulfing and suffocating her, she began to take note of the clothing passersby were donned in. How different were they from the way Air Acolytes and her family dressed!

However, she was more or less exposed to the city in that amount of time than she had in her life.

She cringed when a plump woman had wobbled past, chewing on her komodo chicken satay with delight. She had a hearty laugh when she saw a rich citizen's ostrich-horse turn against him and rock him off the back of the beast. She was amazed to have seen a young man with wavy hair perform his waterbending abilities on a makeshift platform.

This was a part of the city that Jinora was so isolated from, growing up on an island where the last airbenders in the world lived. She had been subjected to airbending training (which she loved and excelled in, of course) and growing up with two hyperactive siblings for most of the decade she had been in this world, a new brother just arriving.

Seeing a family dressed in green walking past, Jinora recalled a fondly memory of when she was about seven.

* * *

_"Daaaaaad! I wanna go to the city!" Jinora pleaded. She was determined to have her father bring her on a tour around the city. Her father was reluctant, however, and the calm man stroked his beard rather grandly. He looked in the air for awhile, as if considering whether to bring his daughter out or not._

_Just then, as her father was about to send her off, Pema entered the messy firstborn childs bedroom. Pinching her nose, Pema shook her head in disgust. "Jinora! Clean up your room!" she ordered._

_Jinora stomped her small foot on the floor, and wrinkled her nose. "No, I won't! I won't unless Daddy brings me out! I want him to bring me out!"_

_The airbending master looked at his wife. "Handle her!" he hissed._

_Walking towards Jinora, Pema bent down and placed her hand on her daughter's. "Look, honey, if Daddy brings you out, would you clean your room?"_

_Jinora broke into a grin and jumped up a meter or two, sending a blast of wind in her mother's face. "I'll even clean up the whole island if you want!"_

_Returning to a normal standing posture, Pema looked at her husband, who's face was now a thousand different colors. Smiling warmly at him, Pema said, "Tenzin, you shall bring Jinora out. Give her some freedom. Air is the element of freedom, isn't it? Let her embrace it."_

_Having no other choice, Tenzin brought his young daughter to the urban city. He decided on visiting the Central City Station first. _

_"There, is Fire Lord Zuko," Tenzin stated with pride as he pointed to an impressive statue of the young Fire Lord Zuko. Jinora was awestruck. _

_"Why is the left side of his face red, Daddy?" she asked with curiosity. _

_"His own Daddy burned him."_

_Jinora gasped. "What happened to his Daddy, then?"_

_"He was thrown in prison," he said with a smirk, as if the thought amused him. _

_"What about his mommy?"  
_

_"Well, his mother was-" _

_"Councilman Tenzin!" A shout had interrupted the conversation between father and daughter. A few yards away, a small figure was running towards them. When the figure finally approached, Jinora realised it was the Council Page. _

_"Yes?" the man asked, a bit alarmed._

_Breathing heavily, the Council Page panted, "The election results are out. May I have a word with you in a quieter area, please?"_

_The Councilman flinched, surprising his daughter. "Yes! Of course." he turned to Jinora. "Wait for me here. Avoid talking to strangers, alright?" With that, he rushed off._

_Jinora flew around in her glider to past time, almost coming in contact with the burning fire in the hands of the statue of the scarred Fire Lord. Her actions drew glances from passersby, though ignored by most. Then, she saw a dozen children staring at her from the ground. They looked so tiny! _

_Suddenly, Jinora felt a small, hard object hitting her shoulder in the midst of flight. "Ow!" she screamed. She then descended fast and clumsily onto ground, only to be welcomed by half a dozen children aroun her age, the oldest only about nine. They were dressed in ragged and tattered clothes, and smelled as if they hadn't bathed in a year._

_As Jinora got up on her feet, the oldest, a girl, snatched away her glider. The girl looked at it, tilting her head up and down. "What's this?!"_

_"Give it back!" Jinora protested. _

_"Do it, Katyin." A voice hissed from behind. Shocked, Jinora turned around. It was a boy, also around nine, raising a large rock with earthbending, glaring at the girl- Katyin._

_"Skoochy!" Katyin gasped. She quickly returned the glider back to Jinora, beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. "I-I thought you are running some numbers for the Red Monsoons."_

_"I_ was _running some numbers for them. I got enough yuans to live off on for another three days or so." the boy, Skoochy, said. It was obvious that he was the leader of these street children. Meanwhile, Jinora stood in between the two, clutching her glider against her chest._

_"Really?" Katyin asked, sounding almost happy. _

_"Yes, now lets play a game of Lao Ying Zhua Xiao Ji, shall we?" Skoochy shouted. The street children nodded in delight. Then, Skoochy turned to Jinora, who was pressed up against the platform of the statue, extremely shaken. "Wanna play with us, whatever your name is."_

_Jinora nodded her head timidly, muttering her name and making sure that Skoochy would ever comprehend it. Just then, she saw her father walking towards her direction, looking troubled. Without a word, Jinora rushed off to the councilman._

_"Jinora," her father reprimanded, "what did I tell you about talking to these strangers?"_

_"Wait..." she heard Skoochy's yells behind her faint into the distance as she and her father walked off. "I don't even know your name!"_

_Jinora turned around and smiled at the boy. "Thank you!" she yelled. Then, she caught up with Tenzin. _

* * *

"Hey, you look familiar." Jinora heard a distinct voice, as if she had heard it before. _  
_

Looking up, she saw a oh so very recognizable boy, with his dark brown hair, hat, and various ragged clothes.

"Skoochy?"


	2. An Invitation

_"Skoochy?"_

"So it _is_ you, then," Skoochy said, sounding not amused. "We have met, haven't we?"

Jinora nodded. She had not realised her fingers were running through the rough wood of her staff. Glancing at her staff for a brief moment, Skoochy sat himself beside the young airbender, albeit a safe distance away. "I haven't found out whats your name, 'ya know."

Jinora gritted her teeth. She wished that the council meeting would be over as soon as possible- she wasn't here to have some conversation with a street urchin. "My name is Jinora," she let out. _Curse Tui! _

"Finally. I had to wait three years just to know that, eh?" Skoochy uttered. "You're that old monk's child, aren't you?" he asked rather rudely, or as so Jinora thought. She was trying _really _hard not to send this kid knocking back a few metres back with an airbending blast.

"Don't you dare call my father_ old monk_," anger boiled inside the usually calm girl. "Years on the street hasn't taught you much, hasn't it?" she blurted out. _Did I just say that...?_

Skoochy broke out in laughter, as if someone had just cracked a hilarious joke. "_Years on the street? Teaching manners?_" he chuckled. "Young one, you truly haven't been in this city for long."

"Argh!" Gripping her glider, Jinora growled, "can you just shut up? Fine, I haven't been in this city for long- at least not much. But at least I grew up properly. Unlike you, growing up with a bunch of street children, what end will you ever come to?"

"Whoa," Skoochy scooted a few inches away from the studious girl. "Chill, I was just joking. Is this how you repay someone who had defended you from that Katyin?"

"I suppose..." Jinora felt her anger soothing down. "Thanks for that, anyway. Now its my turn to ask questions- what are you doing here?"

Skoochy sighed, like he was disappointed by some exam results he had received or something- not that he had ever taken one before. "Ran out of yuans, duh. Its not easy to get money, but its hard not to spend it."

"Hmm..." Jinora suddenly realised she had an extra five yuans in pocket. She quickly took out the note and placed it on Skoochy's outstretched palm on the concrete ground of the steps. "Here, take this, it should last you for the rest of the day, right?"

Skoochy looked at Jinora, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Jinora nodded rapidly. "Of course, silly. Just take it. My father won't find out. He would only worry when I don't read a book for one whole day."

The earthbender smiled. "Thanks, I owe you."

Just then, the grand doors of the City Hall creaked- the council members were on their way out. "Go!" Jinora whispered to her newfound friend. Skoochy then fled off to a side of the building. He watched as the powerful figures of the city walk out of the hall, a few whispers among them. He spotted the young airbender then running off to her parents, hugging them both.

_She's rather cute._

* * *

_Jinora? Hellooo. Jinora!_

"HUH? What?" Jinora was shot back into reality by a loud clap. It was Korra, who was still waving her hand in front of Jinora's face. "What?" Jinora groaned.

"I called your name five times; you didn't flinch or respond once!" Korra exclaimed. "What were you thinking about?"

Suddenly, Ikki popped out from behind the Avatar. "Is it about that saga you just read?"

"Or about your recent airbending forms?"

"No and no." Jinora grumbled.

Then, Ikki jumped a few feet in the air before landing down. "Oh! Oh! I know!" she piped. "Its about that boy, whats his name? Skoochy, isn't it? You're thinking about Skoochy!"

Jinora felt her cheeks turn hot. Gripping the handles of the armchair, she looked around the room. "What? No!" she denied.

Korra frowned, as if she had heard of the name "Skoochy" before. "Skoochy?" she hung her head down, as if trying to recall who was he. Then, she had a bewildered and surprised look on her face after a few seconds. "Oh, its that street urchin, Skoochy! I've met him once. That boy has eyes on you? Or is it the other way?" Korra teased. She began to make lovesick poses in front of the ten-year-old along with her seven-year-old sister.

"NO! I don't like him, or neither does he!" Jinora screamed. Her voice had raised by several decibels, and she sent a wave of air that blew Korra and Ikki to the back of the room.

"Fine!" they both said in unison. With that, they stormed out of the room, giving Jinora some space to think.

_No way would I like Skoochy. No way would I like Skoochy. _That sentence kept repeating itself in her mind. _I mean, he's cute and all. But really, why would I like an orphan. They're talking nonsense. They're talking nonsense. Jinora, this isn't like those teen romance books you've read. This is real life. Real life._

* * *

__"Skooch! You coming?" Katyin yelled from a distance.

Skoochy turned around and shook his head in silence, and watched as the group ran off to scam some people. He thought about that girl, Jinora, he had met today. Sure, she was kind of pretty in her own way, and was definitely a powerful airbender, being one of the last in the world.

But really, why would she go for him? He wasn't even sure Jinora knew where was his usual hangout. Her father was a councilman, for La's sake! He would probably be executed or something lest the old monk sees him interacting with his daughter.

Skoochy looked up at the sky. Red tinged the horizon, and twilight was already setting in. Wolfbats snatched (or at least tried to) some food away from the commuters, mostly unsuccessful. Just as he was about to walk off to the alley where he spent the nights in, Skoochy saw a figure approaching him.

As it neared, he realised it was the Avatar.

"What are you doing here?" Skoochy asked as the Avatar stood before him.

"I can bring you to Air Temple Island tomorrow morning."


End file.
